Audible signaling device for use with tanks



Dec. 31, 1940. SCULLY 1- AL 2,227,322

' AUDIBLE SIGNALING DEVICE FOR USE WITH TANKS Filed Aug. 4, 1939 A/cfcle E. Mar/1e 04.254?

ATTORNEY Patented 31, 1940 2,227,322 some: srouannvc nsvrcs FOR USE WITH TANKS Frank P. Scully, Cambridge, and Alcide E. Mathey,

Auburndaie, Mass, assignors to Scully Signal 00., East Cambridge, Mass" a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 4, 1939, Serial No. 288,364

6 Claim.

This invention relates to means for indicating the level of a liquid in a tank and has particular reference to audible signaling means for indicating when the level of the liquid has risen to a predetermined point.

Audible signaling means for indicating liquid levels in tanks are old in general, as, for example, as shown by the United States patents to Mathey, No. 2,135,522,0ross1ey, No. 2,143,476 and Mathey,

No. 2,143,706. In allot the patents Just mentioned it is contemplated that as the liquid level in the tank rises, the displaced gas will escape through the vent pipe which has therein'a whistle positioned in the path of the gases capable of producing an audible signalunder the pressures available.

When the liquid level rises to a certain predetermined level in the aforesaid patents, the gas through one means or another is cut 011', de-- flected or otherwise modified in its path through the whistle so that whistling ceases, thereby indicating to the operator the position of the liquid level in the tank.

The present invention contemplates the provision of other specific means for signaling to the operator the condition of the liquid level within the tank. In the present application a whistle is provided in, series with the vent pipe so that escaping gases will pass therethrough to cause an v audible sound. In one form of the invention the whistle is fixed in relation to the tank, and cessation of whistling is brought about through the by-passing of escaping gases about the whistle, the 'by-pass in turn being opened through the actuation of a float influenced by the rising liquid level. In another form of the invention the whistle is silent 'during the filling operation by.

nular float-operated by-pass.

Fig. 2 shows a fixed whistle or another type having a float-operated lay-P 8 Fig. 3 shows a whistle set in vertical position and attached to the vent pipe which extends into the'tank, the vent pipe having a float-operated by-pass therethrough.

Fig. 4 shows a whistle in horizontal position 3 connected to the vent pipe extending into the it will cease whistling or its audibility will be Fig. 1 discloses a fixed-whistle having an antank, the vent pipe having a float-operated bypass therethrough.

Fig. 5 shows a whistle fixed with relation to a vertical vent pipe and a float-operated by-pass above the whistle.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. l. 5

Fig. 7 shows a modification in which the bypass is normally open and the whistle is silent during filling.

Fig. 8 is a detail of a further modification in which the'whistle is free to move upwardly of! its seat a limited distance to provide an'additional safeguard against excesive pressures.

A description of Figs. 1 to 6 will-be given first, to be followed by a description of the forms shown in Figs. 7 and 8. 1

Referring now to the drawing, in all of the figures 2 represents the top of a tank adapted to receive liquids. This tank has at some convenient place a suitable filling connection, not shown, so

through which liquid may enter.

In each of the figures, with the exception of Fig. 6, is shown the venting connection of the tank, as at 4. Gases, escaping under normal conditions as the tank is being filled, must pass 2 through a whistle positioned in series in the vent line, as at 6 in Fig. 1, 8 in Fig. 2, Ill in Fig. 3-,

II in Fig. 4, and It in Fig. 5.

The whistle may be in any convenient form but preferably it should be operable at low pres 3o sures to give a distinctly audible sound. Suitable audibility may be obtained from the button type.

whistle shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5, or from the" .apertured tube type. as shown in Fig. 2.

The whistle must be of such construction that. 35

markedly altered as soon as additional apertures .to'the venting connection are formed through which the gas may pass. That is to say, while some of the gas may continue to flow through the, o whistle, still no sound will be heard due to the rest 01' the gas flowing through a by-pass apart from the whistle apertures.-

Such by-passes are provided at II in Fig. 1, 20 in Fig. 2, 22 in Fig. 3, 24 in Fig. 4, and 26 in Fig. 5. -These by-passes are normally held closed by valves gravitationally maintained. In Fig. 1 the valve is shown as an annular member 30; in Fig. 2 as a cone-shaped valve 32; in Fig. 3 as a disk valve II; in Fig.4 as a disk valve 36; and in Fig. 5 5 asadiskvalve 36.

Connected to each of the valves that close the several by-passes are floats indicated at ll in'the several figures. These floats are mechanically connected to the valves closing the by-passes so-u that when the liquid level rises in the tank to reach the floats 4|, the latter will in due course be raised from their present positions to open the by-passes, thus permitting a portion of the gases 1 the liquid level may continue to rise, as might be the situation it the operator failed to turn all the supply, the full venting capacity will still be available, for the whistle apertures plus the bypassing oriflces will be open. In Fig. 1 the whistle is in a flxed position above the by-passing valve. In Figs. 2, 4 and 5 the whistle is below the by-passing valve, while in Fig. 3, the whistle and by-pass are on the same general level. vThefioats are so arranged that at the termination of their upward movement they do not in any way close the vents. Thus, for example, float 40 in Fig. 1 would stop its upward movement before engagement with the underside of the tank I. by virtue of valve 30 coming in contact with the surrounding housing 42.

In Fig. 2 the lower end oi! the vent pipe 41 is arranged in saw-tooth fashion, as at M, so'that gas or liquid will be free to pass into vent pipe [when the upward movement of float ll has been checked by engagement with the teeth. The disk 48 in'the tubular type whistle shown'in Fig. 2 provides an annular area, through which gas may pass, considerably in excess of the area {01' whistle ports 8, so that the opening of valve 32 takes care or the excess capacity that is. pre sented by the disk in relation to the tube. when valve 32 is closed, the gas is directed along the wall by disk 48 so that whistling takes place,

45 but upon opening of the valve 32 the resonance of the chamber is so altered that whistling ceases.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the upward movement of float ll obviously in no way impedes the venting capacity.

' A further advantage oi the constructions shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 .and 5 is this: If, during filling, the pressure within the tank becomes excessive, the valves 30, 32, 36 and SI, which close auxiliary ports i8, 20, 24 and" respectively, will be raised 55 from their seats to. provide an auxiliary vent.

This extra venting capacity enables the pressures to be maintained within safe limits. However, when the valves are opened under conditions of excess pressure, but before the liquid level has risen far enough to operate the floats,

the pressure diiferentiai between the inside and the outside of the whistle remains such that gas continues to flow through the whistle in such volume that audibility remains. When the liquid a level, howevenrises to a point to raise the floats,

then the auxiliary ports are opened wider through the further movement or the various valves. Because of the excess capacity of the auxiliary ports that is provided when the floats are moved Nfupwardly, the pressure diflerential between the inside and outside of the whistle-is decreased to such an extent that whistling ceases.

In this mannerthe auxiliary ports-serve a- ,dual

purpose; namely as a relief against ex ve jgpressure conditions during filling without de-' stroying audibility of the whistle, and as a relief oi such capacity when operated through the raising of the floats that audibility of the whistle ceases'when the tank is filled tothe desired i l 5 In practice the valves are so adjusted that they will open at predetermined pressures which are well within the safe capacity of the tank.

Having now described the constructions disclosed in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, a description will 10 be given or the modified iorms shown in Figs. 7

and 8. V In Fig. 7 the whistle is designated as 48 and is secured to the tank in fixed position. The

supplementary ventll that surrounds the whistle 15 is of the same general nature as vent l8 shown in Figs. 1 and 6. An annular valve I4 is provided, which, however, is on the underside of port 52 rather than on the topside, as shown in Fig. 1. Valve s4 is supported a short distance below port 52 by supports I; which may take any convenient form. The supports may actas a guide for directing valve 84 toward the aperture 52; The float 48 is connected to valve 54 by any suitable means so that upward movement or 55' float ll will result in closure of supplementary port I2.

In this construction during illling the gas is free to escape boththrough the whistle and supplementary port 52, but due the fact that the whistle apertures are relati small in comparison to the supplementary port, only a small volume of gas poses through the whistle, so that no sound is produced.

when the liquid level rises so that port I! is closed, the gas at once .escapes in greater volume through the whistle, which thereupon becomes audible, indicating that the tank has been illled,

In order to insure against dangerous pressure conditions developing after the tank has been 40 filled, which condition is unlikely inasmuch as the operator will ordinarily turn ad the entering liquid as soon as the signal has been given, the

venting capacity. I

From the foregoing descriptions it will be seen that constructions have been provided in which the whistle is ai'lected by the operation of a noatcontrolled valve in conjunction with a supplementary vent to provide indications of the liquid I level to the operator; but'while we have shown and described preierred iorms'oi our invention, we wish it to be distinctly understood thatwe do not intend to be limited thercby'but only b the I appended claims.

Weclairm. W 1

l. The combination with a tank iorliquid havingaventpsssagewithavalveseattormedthere-' in, ot'an air operated signal connected to said passage at a point above said seat, a valve than her normally positioned on said seat to close said passage and divert air, to said signal, and a float intheupperpartorsaidtankccnnectedtounseat said valve and open said passage when the liquid to Wed level. 15

2. An audible signaling device for use with a. tank, comprising a venting connection in the form of a tube extending downwardly into said tank, an aperture in the side of said tube connecting with the exterior of the tank and formed to produce a whistling sound when gas passes therethrough, the outer end of said tube forming a seat, a valve resting on said seat and normally closing the said outer end, buoyant means within said tank and connected to said valve, and means for preventing said buoyant means from sealing said tube when raised by rising liquid. 1

3. An audible signaling device for use with a tank for liquid, comprising a venting connection for said tank, a whistle normally open and positioned in said venting connection in fixed relation to said tank in the path of venting gases whereby said whistle will produce an audible sound during normal filling of said tank, a bypass in said venting connection, a valve normally closing said by-pass, buoyant means connected to said valve, said valve adapted to be raised from its seat to open said by-pass by gass pressure in excess of a predetermined degree without causing discontinuance of said whistle or by the upward movement of said buoyant means when the latter is raised by a rising liquid level to cause the discontinuance of said whistle,and whereby in either case the venting capacity of said tank will be increased.

4. An audible signaling device for use with a tank for liquid, comprising a vent passage including a whistle, a supplementary vent passage for by-passing gas about said whistle, separate valve means operable apart from said whistle for closing said supplementary vent, and buoyant means connected to saidvalve means for varying the condition of said supplementary vent upon the 'rising of liquid in said tank to a predetermined level.

5. An audible signaling device for use with a tank for liquid, as set forth in claim 4, in which said whistle is fixed with respect to said tank.

6. An audible signaling device for use with a tank for liquid, as set forth in claim 4, in which said audible signaling device is movable under conditions of excessive pressure only to provide increased venting capacity.

1 FRANK P. SCULLY.

ALCIDE E. MATHEY. 25 

